Sunday, August 16, 2009

Fantasy Football Mock Draft Analysis

Nearly a week ago, the Front Row Fantasy Sports (minus Nick Allen) team constructed a ten team fantasy football draft. The main focus for the two of us (Dalton and Christian) was to analyze each team after the conclusion of the draft. Unfortunately, Nick Allen was not able to partake due to being on vacation or something...lame excuse. But don't fret; Dalton Scantling and Christian Karcole have completed their personal thoughts their teams. Just note that they chose only to analyze each other's team, rather than examine every team in the league. Below are our respective teams and our thoughts on them.Christian Karcole's Team:QB: Philip Rivers, Jay CutlerRB: Steve Slaton, Clinton Portis, Knowshon Moreno, Jamal Lewis, Jerious NorwoodWR: Dwayne Bowe, Marques Colston, Bernard Berrian, Vincent Jackson, Steve Breaston, Mark ClaytonTE: John CarlsonD/ST: DolphinsK: Nick Folk

Dalton says:

Christian's team had the ninth pick and he did a great job from that position. This team has good depth all around, with his deepest being the QB slot. He have two quarterbacks that finished in the top 10 last season, but I don’t expect Cutler to be there again this season. Chicago doesn’t have the weapons Cutler had in Denver and I expect him to decline accordingly. I think Phillip will be about the same as last season making him a top five quarterback.

He drafted a great group of running backs, but I’m not as high on them as most people are. However I do like two of the choices. Those two are Jamal Lewis and Clinton Portis. Jamal won’t be top 20, but he will put up solid fantasy numbers. He consistently produces every year and I expect nothing different this season. Portis isn’t really looked at as a top running back (in fantasy terms), but continues to produce just like Jamal. You know exactly what you’re getting out of each of them.The running back I like the least here is Steve Slaton. He’s a great running back, and in my rankings I put him very high, but I have a gut feeling he might get hurt. If he doesn’t get hurt he could decline as he’s not used to a full workload two straight years. He will probably prove me wrong here, but I’m just not that high on him in the back of my mind. Knowshon is a good pick, but being a rookie, we don’t know what to expect out of him. He should be very good, but he is in an offense that will probably throw a lot.

This team has excellent wide receiver depth. With Matt Cassel throwing to Dwayne Bowe this season, Dwayne will be top 15 and could crack the top 10. Colston will also be in the top 10 if he can stay healthy which shouldn’t be too much of a concern. He also has Bernard Berrian, Vincent Jackson, and Steve Breaston on his bench. All three of them will be very good fantasy contributors, and excellent bye-week fill-ins.

At the tight end position he has a very solid starter. John Carlson finished seventh in the league as a rookie and will look to build on that this season. Like Team Scantling he will have to pick up a bye-week fill-in when that time comes.

Christian says:

Boy, am I great or what? I absolutely adore my team. To start, it's hard to find a team with two QB's with as much potential as mine. I'm a believer in Jay Cutler, unlike many others, so that may be why I love a Rivers/Cutler duo more than most. But wouldn't you love to have one of the best QB's of 2008 as your #2?

I, like Dalton, am concerned a bit about Slaton, but for different reasons. My concern is that he simply won't be able to produce as well as he did in '08 now that defenses know more about him. It's not like I think he will have a down year, it's that I have a feeling he might. Other than Slaton, I love my RB group. Clinton Portis continues to produce consistently, Moreno is a rookie with huge potential, Lewis is a serviceable #3 RB, and Norwood is the second most valuable back-up RB in the NFL (behind Chester Taylor, not including RB-timeshares).

My WR's aren't spectacular, but they are deep. On all but one of my teams, I have either Bowe or Colston on my squad. I found a way to acquire both in this draft. Personally, I just love their potential. On the bench, Jackson/Berrian/Clayton/Breaston provide me with an extremely solid bench. If Colston or Bowe are to miss time, I have a fine group of bench players to choose from to replace them.

John Carlson isn't the greatest pick at tight end, but it's not a terrible pick. I decided to wait on my TE choice until later in order to solidify my bench. I'd say it was worth it.

I will probably be a little biased as this is my team, but I will try my best to stay neutral. My team had the sixth overall pick in the draft, and I think it’s a pretty solid team.

The biggest question mark on this team would have to be the quarterback spot. While I personally love Kyle Orton with the Broncos, most people are not as high on him. This team does have a pretty solid backup which could pay off down the road.

This has to be one of the deepest running back cores in the league. They have two top 15 running backs and you could make a very good case that there are three top 15 running backs on the roster. I also like the pick of Earnest Graham as a backup. He’s a great handcuff for all Ward owners just in case Ward can’t take a heavy workload. I also like Ray Rice a lot this season and think he is an excellent sleeper candidate.

At the wide receiver position this team drafted two very good starters. They both have top 10 potential. One problem down the stretch for this team could be the lack of depth at wide receiver. After those two there isn’t much there. I think Brian Robiskie could be a great sleeper, but he could need some time to adjust to the NFL. I also think Ted Ginn Jr. could have a break out season, but he could be a disappointment.

At tight end there is no depth, but there is a very good starter. Last year Owen Daniels was the sixth ranked tight end, and will probably be around there this season as well. They will have to pick up a bye-week fill-in at some point, but for now that’s pretty good.

Christian says:

The QB position is sketchy, at best. I believe in Kyle Orton, but not to the extent where I would feel comfortable with him as my No. 1 starter. Edwards is a decent back-up, but so is Orton. If either pans out, then he will be fine. If not...

His RB group isn't stellar, but it is deep. Extremely deep. He has talent from top to bottom, with each player having potential to have a nice season. The best thing is the fact that he took both Graham and Ward, assuring himself of at least one good back. Past that, only Gore and Johnson have top tier potential. Yet, the rest have the chance to break out and contribute consistently.

The WR's are good, but not great. Marshall and White provide him with a solid set of starters, but the bench is iffy. I have no trust in Edwards, Ginn has yet to prove himself on a consistent basis, and Robiskie is just a rookie. There are too many "if's" and not enough definite producers. Yet, Owen Daniels helps at tight end. I'm not as high on him as others are, but he's better than most.